*Photo Courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter and Associated Press*

As I reported this story to YOU on Saturday...here it is, in case you missed it!

MICHAEL JOHNS from Season 7 has PASSED AWAY at the age of 35!

They say it was a blood clot in his ankle and my inside sources tell me that the swelling & bruising was traveling up his leg (which means the blood clot is traveling) & doctor gave him "all clear" to go home...BIG MISTAKE! :( He should have been admitted immediately and this possibly could have been avoided!

He was such an amazing person and talent...and he will definitely be missed.

Check out the latest song/music video from Avril Lavigne "HELLO KITTY" :)She has been getting a lot of shade thrown at her for it, for seeming to venture away from her roots.
Sometimes though, especially in this day and age of music...it's time to freshen it up and take it in a new direction,
while still staying true to your roots. It's definitely catchy, I'll say that much! ;)

This is your LAST CHANCE to choose what my NEW Blog Feature/Features will involve.

I've been so busy, running here and there and everywhere...and involved with a bunch of stuff, so the Manic Monday Menu Blog Feature I've been doing has been on a little vacation. I've still been cooking and baking A BUNCH of stuff and may post them eventually.
So Check Back Again Soon or Check Me Out On Facebook, as I always post my culinary creations there.

BUT, Right now I am giving you a chance to help choose my next NEW blog feature/features.

CONTACT ME with YOUR SUGGESTIONS on what my NEW Blog Feature/Features should be, since you read my blog...what do you want it to be about or involve?
(examples: food reviews, product reviews, restaurant reviews, etc or anything else you think would be worthy)

I've been so busy, running here and there and everywhere...and involved with a bunch of stuff, so the Manic Monday Menu Blog Feature I've been doing has been on a little vacation. I may post something soon. So Check Back Later Today.

BUT, Right now I am giving you a chance to help choose my next NEW blog feature/features.

CONTACT ME with YOUR SUGGESTIONS on what my NEW Blog Feature/Features should be, since you read my blog...what do you want it to be about or involve?
(examples: food reviews, product reviews, restaurant reviews, etc or anything else you think would be worthy)

It's just another Manic Monday and time for another "Manic Monday Menu"!

This week's "Manic Monday Menu" features more of a tip, than a recipe. You think that you couldn't mess up boiling an egg?
Believe it or not I know people that can! Here is a way to cook your eggs perfectly everytime.

So here is my exclusive tip for:

HARD BOILED EGGS

-Lay the eggs in a single layer in a large saucepan

-Cover with cold water by at least 1 inch

-Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook for 1 minute

-Cover with a lid, turn off the heat and allow the eggs to sit for 15 minutes

-Then place then in ice water for about 5 minutes

Then you may use them for whatever recipe you'd like, after you peel them that is or since Easter is right around the corner, don't peel them and color the shells.

It's just another Manic Monday and time for another "Manic Monday Menu"!

This week’s "Manic Monday Menu" features an easier, tastier and healthier alternative to those canned broths and stocks in the store. Make your own from scratch in no time at all and I guarantee if you do this once, you’ll never buy another can of broth or stock again.

In a Large Dutch oven, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, carrot, and garlic to the Dutch oven and cook for a couple minutes. Then Add the Carcass/Bones and fill with water to cover everything. Simmer this on medium-high heat for at least 5 hours or till all the bones are clean and the meat has fallen off. The longer you cook this, the more flavorful it will become. Then pour through a strainer and remove all bones adn vegetables left behind. If making a soup, use all the meat that fell off of the bones in your soup. Use this stock as a base for soups, sauces or anything you desire. You may freeze this if you don’t plan on using it right away. Just pour it in smaller containers, let it cool and place in the freezer.

It's just another Manic Monday and after a week or two of hiatus it's BACK and time for another "Manic Monday Menu"!

This weeks "Manic Monday Menu" was a request by listener Lori who saw a pic of this on my facebook. It's a family recipe, but as with any family recipe...there may be a few special secrets that were left out.

In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add bacon or prosciutto; cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels; let drain. Set aside.
Add onions, celery, carrot, and garlic to the Dutch oven; cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until softened, stirring frequently. Stir in oregano and stir for 1 minute. Add broth, tomatoes, and pasta. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until pasta is tender.
Meanwhile, use a fork to mash one can of the beans. Stir the whole and mashed beans into pasta mixture. Simmer about 5 minutes or until heated through.
Stir in parsley and lemon juice. Immediately ladle into serving bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan and the prosciutto/bacon.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe for MANIC’S PASTA FAGIOLI! Now that’s Italian! ;)

My "MANIC MONDAY MENU" feature in this blog will RETURN on Monday, March 4th!
I've been extremely busy with some things, as well as planning a surprise birthday party for my mom, which went off without a hitch last night! :)
So check back on Monday, March 4th for a brand new recipe/tip!

It's Just Another Manic Monday and that could only mean one thing, another "Manic Monday Menu"!
This weeks "Manic Monday Menu" is Valentine Themed and geared toward impressing your sweetie AND their sweet tooth.

So here is my exclusive recipe for:

MANIC’S MINI DRUNKEN UPSIDEDOWN CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKES

Ingredients you will need:

-1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon of Flour

-1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons of Sugar

-3 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder

-1/4 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

-1/8 Teaspoon of Salt

-1/4 cup of Water

-4 Tablespoons of Amaretto (Disaronno) Add More if Desired, I did! ;) I don't measure...I just pour! hehe

-2 Tablespoons of Oil

-1 Tablespoon of White Vinegar

-1 can of Cherry Pie Filling

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix till incorporated. Then combine all the wet ingredients in another bowl and mix till incorporated. Then add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix till combined.

Then take a Large 6 Count Muffin Tin and lightly grease or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each muffin well with the cherry filling and divide it all evenly. Then spoon the batter into each muffin tin evenly.

Bake on 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes and then invert the muffin tin on a plate and tap on the tin and turn out the little cakes. When serving I pop them in the microwave to warm them slightly, but this is a preference.

Place the beef in a bowl with the blackberry wine, garlic, and bay leaves. Place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight.
When you are ready to start preparing the next day…preheat your oven to 300 degrees and then combine the flour, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper.
Lift the beef out of the marinade with a slotted spoon and discard the bay leaves and garlic, saving the marinade. In batches, dredge the cubes of beef in the flour mixture and then shake off the excess.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot and brown half the beef over medium heat turning to brown evenly.
Place the beef in a large oven-proof Dutch oven and continue to brown the remaining beef, adding oil as necessary. Place all the beef in the Dutch oven.
Heat another 2 tablespoons of oil to the large pot and add the onions, carrots, celery and potatoes. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally till they start to get tender. Then add the garlic and cook for 3 more minutes.
Place all the vegetables in the Dutch oven over the beef. Add 2 1/2 cups of the reserved marinade to the empty pot and cook over high heat to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken stock, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 teaspoons pepper.
Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables in the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat on top of the stove. Cover the pot and place it in the oven to bake it for at least 2 hours, I let it go for about 4 hours, the longer you cook it the more tender the meat and vegetables will be. I suggest checking it half way through the cooking process and stirring it/check it.
Then there is only one more thing left to do…EAT! But there is more…

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients with a whisk until just combined. Form into a large ball and roll out to thickness desired and use a biscuit cutter of your choice. Cut them and place on a nonstick sheet tray or use parchment paper. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.

ALL PURPOSE BAKING MIX

6 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup shortening
In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry knife or fork until the mixture is well blended.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe for MANIC’S MOST AMAZING BEEF STEW THAT WILL EVER HIT YOUR MOUTH, Plus the BONUS RECIPE of BEER BISCUITS that go great with it.

It's Monday and the very 1st "Manic Monday Menu" where I will be sharing my recipes and cooking/baking tips with you, as well as from time to time sharing YOUR recipes and tips as well.
It's a baking kind of day with the weather we are having so...here we go! I'm starting off very simple and will give you more difficult recipes/tips as time goes by.
Today you'll get a recipe and a tip all in one...Do you have a lot of leftover christmas candy and don't know what to do with it?
Well, Bake with it and utilize it that way other than just eating it.
The recipe I made today and I am sharing with you is for:

Combine the first 5 ingredients and cream them together. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix till combined.
Form little balls (about a tablespoon of the dough) and place on a sheet tray. Bake for 8-10 minutes in a preheated oven at 375 degrees.
Immediately when removed from the oven, place a kiss in the center of each cookie and push down slightly.

Let completely cool so the kiss can reharden before serving.

Hope you enjoyed this useful tip on how to utilize leftover candy and this easy recipe that took hardly anytime to make.

It's a NEW YEAR with some NEW things headed your way courtesy of me!
It's been a crazy past couple months and I'm finally getting back to this whole blogging thing.
So I will be blogging as much as possible on here and doing some new features here as well.
Of course I'll be blogging about IDOL and everything else that consumes my life, but I'm also going to start something that I am calling "Manic Monday Menu" where I will share MY recipes with you and MY cooking/baking tips too. And I'll also be looking for YOUR recipes/tips to share as well in my blog at times.

You can email your cooking/baking tips or recipes to my email: manicmarc@entercom.com
or
You can contact me via Facebook: www.facebook.com/manicmarconair

Anyone that works in the service industry knows what T.I.P.S. stands for and for anyone else that doesn’t, you’re going to learn.
T- To
I- Insure
P- Proper
S- Service

So that means when you are out dining, TIP your server or that’s the kind of service you are going to get. These people are bending over backwards for you and the least you could do is show them that they are appreciated by tipping them. I’ve worked as a waiter before and it amazed me how lousy SOME people were at tipping. Granted there are some pretty bad servers out there and they deserve a bad tip if the service was bad. But, for the good servers, don’t worry a server NEVER forgets the BAD tippers, so if you don’t tip or leave a bad tip…I wouldn’t return.
Moral of the Story: If you can’t leave a decent tip because you can’t afford it or you’re just cheap…Then Don’t Eat Out!

I’ve been searching for the infamous Blueberry Munchkins at Dunkin Donuts…and to my surprise have discovered that not ALL Dunkin Donuts make them. Major disappointment…I assumed since it’s a chain that they all mostly have the same menu. But, they don’t obviously and my search continues for the infamous Blueberry Munchkins! Find them and Bring me some! <3